Hannibal

While not fully up to par with "Silence of the Lambs", "Hannibal" still was more interesting and more fulfilling then "Hannibal Rising". And if you enjoyed "Silence of the Lambs", then you really should do take the time to sit down and watch this movie as well.

There is a nice cat-and-mouse feel to the movie, and director Ridley Scott have accomplished to put together an entertaining movie that does bring into the picture some disturbing mindsets and images from time to time.

The characters are right on the money and there is some good character development and growth throughout the movie. And the cast that were in the movie were doing good jobs with their given roles. And while Julianne Moore is no Jodie Foster, she still managed to portray Clarice in a fulfilling way. Needless to say that Anthony Hopkins is, of course, fantastic once again in the role of Hannibal 'the cannibal' Lecter. I was surprised to find out that it was Gary Oldman who was playing Verger; I literally had no idea and just found out in 2014.

There is a nice speed to the movie, in the sense that you are never left bored, and the movie does take you on a roller-coaster; sometimes it is fast and brutal, other times slow and seemingly safe (lulling the audience into a false sense of security). There were some nice enough twists and turns along the way, making the movie not overly predictable.

"Hannibal" is an entertaining movie and a well-worthy addition to the Lecter legacy. And it is definitely worth a watch.

Anthony Hopkins gave an impeccable performance. However, the material he was given to work with was not as good as Silence of the Lambs. In fairness, perhaps there was no way it could be. In SOTL, he was somehow more foreboding, more of a sort of superhuman monster; in Hannibal, he's more accessible, a guy you meet on the street. Maybe it was impossible to maintain the mystery of Lecter that we saw in SOTL because of the risk of doing a rehash. I'd give the overall Dr Lecter character a 9 of 10 in this film, vs. a 10 of 10 in the last one. Not quite as good, but still very good.

Starling's character, on the other hand, fell flat in this film. In SOTL, Foster perfectly portrayed Starling's flat surface with a turbulent depth; in Hannibal, there was nothing under her surface. Foster's Clarice evoked feelings of sympathetic grief, Moore's Clarice evoked nothing. I do not necessarily blame Moore, this could be due to writing and/or directing. Obviously, though SOTL focused mainly on Starling's character, Hannibal focuses on, well, Hannibal. Still, that's no excuse for what was done to Starling. Her character gets a 3 of 10.

The story was much weaker in Hannibal than in SOTL. It almost seemed like an excuse to present us with the characters, rather than a story in and of itself. Still, it had no other major flaws, so it gets a 6 of 10.

Now, there's another category I'll call the shock factor. It's different than ordinary gore, it's... creative gore. The sick, disgusting depravity we expect to see and like to see in this type of film. I can't go into detail without spoiling it, but I'll have to say it goes even beyond what I expected. Do not watch this film if you are squeamish or dislike gore. There isn't a lot of gore in the film, but what there was, was... concentrated. Shock Factor, 10 of 10.

Overall I give the film an 8 of 10. Very well done with a few weaknesses, well worth watching.

For the most part, I enjoyed this film. I was engaged throughout and that's what you want from a film. However, I found myself frustrated with some of the nonsensical choices of the characters. Hopkins was as brilliant as ever. This Hannibal was a lot more ruthless but just as cunning, perceptive and observant. I really like Julian Moore as an actress but I'm just not sure she was right for this role as a shoe-in for the character of Clarice. I don't know if it was because I was comparing her to Jodie Foster's Clarice, but it just felt like two completely different characters. She wasn't as intellectual, sharp or astute as the original Clarice. She felt a lot more vulnerable than the original Clarice. And she made some questionable decisions throughout the film to say the least. Lastly, WHAT happened to the southern twang in her accent, yes your accent can change over the ten years that passed but there wasn't even a trace of it!

This film overall was an interesting, further insight into Hannibal's character and also the relationship between Hannibal and Clarice, and his matured fondness for her. Overall, this film is definitely worth watching with some memorable scenes, but just don't go into it expecting it to be Silence of the lambs part 2.

It's alarming and viscerally gross in ways that the first never even reaches for (mainly because it didn't need to). Yes, Foster is sorely missed, particularly earlier in the film. On the flip side, Liotta, who was consistently and criminally underrated in almost everything he did, just kills it - his performance at the dinner table is unnerving, hilarious, kitschy, powerful, and completely compelling.

Many people were disappointed or flat-out disgusted by Ridley Scott's follow-up to "The Silence of the Lambs." I can certainly understand their disgust, but I preferred this to its Oscar winning predecessor. It had been a long, long time since a movie made me turn from the screen in genuine horror, and I didn't believe it was even possible. "Hannibal"'s deservedly controversial climax took me by surprise. It may have been revolting (okay, it was very definitely revolting) but so few movies these days have any lasting impact and I appreciate that this one did. And it is, after all, about a cannibal, is it not? At some point in a series of films about a man of Lector's inclinations, we should see him at work.

Of course, the horror of the climax is effective because the rest of the film is so good. Hopkins, a little chunkier than the last time we saw him in this role, positively exudes menace especially in his final confrontation with Pazzi (an excellent Giancarlo Giannini whose sad eyes make him the most sympathetic character in the film). Then there's Gary Oldman's Mason Verger who is so contemptible that he never elicits sympathy no matter how he suffered at the hands of Lector. And Julianne Moore is an improvement over Jodie Foster who I have always believed was overrated.

But the best thing about "Hannibal" is the atmosphere in which Scott and his team envelop the story. A cloud of dread hangs over this film, and beautiful Florence, Italy, though still beautiful, appears haunted by Lector's very presence in the city.